Bea Smith
"I Just thought I would bring you a present." Beatrice Alice Smith (maiden name Corruthers) was an inmate who appeared from episode 1 to 400. She was known for her hatred of drugs, pushers and child abusers and her reign as Top Dog. Bea was transferred to Barnhurst after attacking Ferguson in episode 400. Life Before Wentworth Bea was born in Hobart, Tasmania on 8 February 1938. Prison lifer Bea's first sentence had a parole period of 10 years at Wentworth Detention Centre. She was sentenced for strangling a co worker at her hair salon with whom her husband Harry had been having an affair. She left behind her then 8-year-old daughter, Debbie. Top Dog Bea was first seen threatening new inmate Lynette Warner after Lynn was accused of burying a baby alive. Bea used a steam press on Lynn's hand to burn her and then coerced her to tell Mrs Davidson it was an accident so Bea could still get her release the next day. Upon Bea's release (2) she decided to settle some scores of which she had been planning for the last 10 years - firstly to book herself into an expensive hotel and then contact her old cell mate, second, to see her daughter's grave and lastly to visit her husband. Valerie (Bea's old cellmate) gave Bea a pistol as a gift so she decided to use it to seek revenge on her husband for kicking Debbie (Bea's daughter) out of the family's home. Debbie ended up with some serious mental health issues and became addicted to heroin. Bea arrives at the house. She is greeted by her ex-husband's new mistress and Bea asks for Harry (her ex-husband) telling her to say that Bea wants to see him. Harry then tells her she's not welcome. Bea coolie replies, "I don't want to come back, I just bought you a present" before fatally shooting him in the chest in front of his new mistress. Later, Bea returns to Wentworth where she now has a life sentence, and her arch nemesis Franky Doyle has now taken over as Top Dog. This doesn't last long as Franky starts a riot which ends with Bea knocking her out and Bill Jackson (Meg's husband) getting fatally stabbed. Bea takes it upon herself to find out who the culprit is and punish them. Although Bea was "top dog", others try to take that title for themselves; however, it was usually when Bea would escape or be transferred. Not many were game enough to try it whilst Bea was still top dog. Due to the circumstances around her daughter's death, Bea hated drug pushers and also anyone who committed crimes against children. She was also extremely protective of children. When ex-screw Anne Yates is sent to Wentworth for drug trafficking, Bea takes it upon herself to find out Anne's crime; she had always suspected Anne of dealing drugs when she was a screw. She gives her a hard time about it, leading Anne to stab Bea in the side which leads to Bea's first escape attempt whilst she is in hospital. She achieves this by drugging the police woman who is guarding her. After staying with Mum Brooks and then with her friend and old cell-mate Val, Bea is eventually dobbed in to the police by Yvonne, a teenage girl living next door. Yvonne is annoyed that Bea crashed her party out of her concern for her welfare. For a time after this, Bea had no major story lines, mainly just being involved in other prisoners' story lines. Isolation Block Bea misses Doreen and Lizzie because they have been released. Bea's next rival Sharon Gilmour arrives for drug charges. Bea speaks to her about drugs and Sharon throws soup in her face. Erica warns Bea not to do anything. Bea gets Margo, Bev and Lil to cut Sharon's hair. Erica has Bea sent to Isolation. Sharon has taken over as top dog with Chrissie's help. Pat gives information to Bea while she is Isolation. Sharon gets drugs into the prison while Bea is in Isolation. Bea and Chrissie fight through the security gate, Sharon bites Bea so she can stop strangling Chrissie. Bea drops drugs into Erica's desk to show her that there is drugs so she can get out of Isolation and stop the drugs. Bea lets Erica know where the drugs are. Erica releases Bea from Isolation because of the drug problem, but if Bea misbehaves she will be back in Isolation. Bea takes over as top dog again. Bea gets Doreen's ring back from Chrissie and gets caught by Erica and Vera. Bea slaps Sharon for her being rude. When Judy arrives Judy wacks Bea in the nose giving her a blood nose so she can go to Solitary. Bea gets Doreen's ring back from Chrissie. Bea gets Judy back by dunking Judy's head into a sink full of dirty water in the shower block. Back in H Block With the arrival of Ken Pearce - an ex-prisoner who wants to set up a drama group at Wentworth - Bea has a romance. She falls for Ken who asks for Bea's help in straightening out his daughter, also called Debbie. Bea and Ken are discovered locked in a store room by the screws and Ken Pearce is banned from Wentworth for a time. He is eventually allowed to return due to a new project put forward by Erica Davidson . For a short period they have a romantic story line and Ken attempts to persuade Bea to play the 'screws' game. He also suggests to Erica that Bea should have a more intellectually stimulating job to do rather than just working in the laundry. This leads to the introduction of a Braille machine. Eventually Ken tells Bea that he's decided to reconcile with his ex-wife. Bea eventually makes another escape attempt via a previously forgotten series of underground disused sewer tunnels. This particular escape was accidental, since Bea only went down the tunnel to bring Lizzie back. She is eventually trapped down there by a cave-in with Doreen Anderson and Lizzie Birdsworth due to an unstable prisoner, Anne Griffin blocking off the entrance. Bea goes crazy with claustrophobia and while in a panic she finds a rock to bang on a barred dead end. The trio are eventually discovered but Bea is unable to get revenge as Anne is transferred to a mental institution. Barnhurst Later, Bea is transferred to Barnhurst Correctional Centre thanks to mounting tension at Wentworth. She meets Marie Winter again who lets Bea know that she is the top dog at Barnhurst, Bea isn't interest. Frieda tells Bea you got to like Marie if you are at Barnhurst, Frieda also tells Bea that the working party brings mushrooms that cause hallucinations. Janie goes to Bea's cell to let her know what happens at Barnhurst, Janie tries to pick a fight with Bea but Bea chucks her out. Janie suggested to Marie that Bea should have the mushrooms, Marie decides to get Tracey to do it. Bea 'lags' to Mrs. Roberts about being drugged; however, she said that they already know that the prisoners take magic mushrooms and there is no harm in it. Marie comes to Bea's cells hoping nothing will happen however Bea chokes Marie for what she did and said she might be forced to take over things, Mrs Roberts and another officer get Bea off Marie and confine her to a cell. Erica Davidson asks the Department to transfer Bea back to Wentworth and they agree. Bea warns Tracey she might get her for what she did. Amnesia Due to the prisoners back at Wentworth campaigning to get Bea back, and the tensions caused by Margo Gaffney having taken over the newly vacant 'top dog' position, Bea suffers amnesia due to a car accident on the way (198). Her last memory is of life before prison, so she is confused when she finds her old house, 76 Watts St. Surrey Hills, occupied by strangers. She becomes increasingly distressed trying to find her daughter. She does however remember Mum, and while Mum realizes her amnesia is genuine, a mistake by Meg Jackson and Mum gets Bea and Mum sent to Wentworth. The prisoners believe Bea is faking to get earlier release, and Vera Bennett takes pleasure in reminding Bea of everything she has done and baiting her about her daughter's death. At this point, Margo Gaffney has taken over as Top Dog, and Bea's instincts eventually take over and she attacks Margo to defend Mum. When Margo bashes Doreen Bea decides not to act on it to prove she has lost her memory. Margo, Lil and Bev bash Bea and lock her in the store room, which causes her memory to come back; however, since she already has a psychologist's report confirming that she is suffering from amnesia, Bea decides to fake that she still has it in order to attempt to get early release. Before she goes to court she attacks Margo for her bashing Doreen. Hearing goes well for her; however, when it appears that Mum is facing a jail sentence for not reporting Bea and for allowing her to stay in her house, Bea testifies that she faked having amnesia and that she forced Mum to hide her at her house, allowing Mum to get off but sacrificing her own chance at freedom (204). When Bea returns she takes over as top dog strait away and orders Lil and Bev to be Lizzie's body guards after she makes Lizzie the new Wentworth bookie. Kidney Failure Bea next has a health scare. Her kidneys are failing and she needs a donor kidney. Bea hands the top dog position over to Sandy Edwards. When Bea is going to hospital she notices Marie is at Wentworth. Everyone knows that a prisoner is on the bottom of the transplant list and the prisoners decide to see if any of them are a match. Doreen Anderson is a match; however, she is too scared to have the operation. Bea forgives her possibly because she is going to die anyway. Fortunately, a road fatality provides Bea with the much needed kidney. When Bea returns she notices Marie is the top dog. Bea puts Marie's drugs in one of the laundry bags to put into the washing machine but Jim tells Marie to do it and she does. Bea comes along and stops Marie and some other prisoners bashing Doreen. Bea and Doreen save Sandy from being hanged in the shower block. Bea gets Hazel to attach a small bag full of drugs to the sheet of Marie's bed so Marie can get in trouble. Bea takes the top dog position off Marie. Back as Top Dog When Joan Ferguson arrives Bea is determined to stop her for what she is doing. Bea and women decide not to speak or listen to Joan but it fails because Joan uses the fire-hose on the women. Bea decides to barricade the dinning room from Joan but its fails as well because Lizzie gets sick and Joan refuses to unlock the gate unless Bea gets the women to stop. Paddy Lawson tries to aggravate Bea to get her parole broken organised by Joan. Joan taunts Bea into her trying to do something to get her parole broken. Bea is sent to the Isolation Block for some peace and quiet. When Barbra Fields arrives Bea threatens to burn her with her cigarette to get information. Bea gets really upset when Joan sends her a note saying it was from Paddy saying that Lizzie is dead. Bea said she will get Joan when Joan does a body search on Paddy when Joan is still doing when Bea tells her where the note is. Bea decides to get Joan and has a fire in the prison to get the officers distracted. Bea strangles Joan until she is unconscious. Joan wakes up and attacks Bea with a piece of wood. Paddy finds Bea and forces Joan to help her while the fire spreads through Wentworth. Bea accidentally knocks Joan off the ladder while they escape to the roof. Bea and Joan both end up in hospital. Barnhurst 2nd Time Later on, Joan Ferguson and Sonia Stevens play tricks to get Bea transferred. and she gets transferred to Barnhurst permanently when Joan goads Bea when she is taken to solitary, in solitary Joan admits that Bea was set up and Stevens would look after the drugs at Wentworth, snapping Bea attacks Joan and Joan whilst in pain laughs while saying 'No blood? what a pity' at her and tells her thanks, Joan then decides to make her own injuries worse by inflicting scratches on herself and informing the governor that Bea attacked her. Bea is then taken out of solitary the following morning and told that she's going to Barnhurst, Bea does not get to say goodbye but makes more threats to Ferguson who just says 'Sooner or later I had to win.' and Bea is seen leaving to reception giving one last look at Lizzie and walking away to Barnhurst..And as she is never seen or heard from again, her reign of terror at Wentworth is finally over (400). In episode 454, it is revealed that Smith had forced all the women of Barnhurst to sign a petition to release Wentworth prisoner Hannah Geldschmidt who faced deportation to East Germany, indicating that she had reached 'top dog' status in Barnhurst as well. In episode 536, it is revealed that Bea Smith had died in a riot at Barnhurst Category:Antagonists Category:Inmates Category:Top Dogs Category:Dead Characters Category:Females Category:Barnhurst Inmates Category:Smith Family Category:1970s Characters Category:1979 Arrivals Category:1983 Departures Category:1980s Characters Category:Original Characters Category:Killers Category:Franky Doyle Riot Category:Barnhurst Riot Category:Great Fire of Wentworth Category:Mugshot Category:Tunnel Collapse Category:PCBH Characters Category:Work Release Category:Escape Category:Isolation Block Category:Fat Pizza Category:1985 Death Category:Barnhurst Category:Deceased